Census: Syracuse school district has fourth-highest child poverty rate in New York

Mark Wladis helps several kindergarten students at Syracuse's McKinley Brighton Elementary School pick out a hat and gloves. From left are Honesty Harper, Danaysia Simpkins, Tynasia Warner and Promise Richards-Jones, all 5 years old.Ellen M. Blalock / The Post-Standard

Syracuse -- The Syracuse school district has the fourth highest child poverty rate among 684 districts in the state, according to 2011 U.S. Census data released today.

The district has 9,864 children from 5 to 17 years old who are living in poor families, according to the data. That’s 43.4 percent of the children in that age group.

Statewide, the Census numbers put Syracuse’s rate below only two tiny school districts —Kiryas Joel in Orange County and Jasper-Troupsburg in Steuben County — and Rochester, whose rate is 46.1 percent.

Syracuse’s rate is far higher than any of the 43 other school districts in Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. The next highest rate in the region is in Sandy Creek, at 29.5 percent. Fayetteville-Manlius has the lowest rate, at 5.4 percent.

Nationwide, 21 percent of children are living in poverty, according to the Census Bureau.

The high numbers in Syracuse are no surprise. Census data show that the city of Syracuse has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, at nearly 34 percent of all residents. That’s up from 27 percent a decade ago.

A family of four is below the national poverty threshold if it brings in less than $23,021 year.

Among the state’s other Big 5 school districts, the Census put Buffalo’s child poverty rate at 39 percent, New York City’s at 29.8 percent and Yonkers’ at 21.1 percent

The estimates from the Census Bureau combine numbers from the Census, federal tax filings and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The numbers are used as one of the criteria by which the federal government provides funding to school districts.